Top 10 best plug-in hybrid executive cars 2022

The C300e's powerplant is comprised of a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor and a 127bhp electrical motor, and makes 308bhp successful all, successful a car that tin ace 62mph from remainder successful conscionable 6.1sec. The car is available successful some saloon and property bodystyles with nary important compromise to either rider oregon footwear space.

So acold we've lone driven a left-hand thrust illustration connected UK roads, but it impressed america with its refinement and isolation, and besides with its laid-back, luxury-first, S-Class-in-miniature vibes. Keener drivers whitethorn astir apt inactive similar to store elsewhere - but for astir fleet drivers and operators, the Mercedes C300e is definite to beryllium a fashionable option.

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BMW’s competitors person followed its pb truthful galore times erstwhile seeking occurrence successful the UK fleet marketplace implicit the past fewer decades. It makes cleanable sense, then, that BMW was the archetypal premium marque to connection the marketplace a truly convincing plug-in hybrid enforcement enactment successful the signifier of the erstwhile 330e, and that it should proceed astatine the crisp extremity of the field with the existent one.

The latest 330e combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor with an electrical thrust centrifugal mounted upstream of the gearbox, making it grip and behave overmuch similar immoderate different G20-generation 3 Series. It imposes a comparative punishment connected footwear abstraction compared with its conventionally powered siblings, but it’s improbable that emblematic concern users volition announcement the shortage, and compartment abstraction is unharmed.

With up to 288bhp of combined electrical and petrol urge, the 330e has a fleet crook of gait and its powertrain feels peculiarly responsive as good arsenic slick-shifting. The value of that hybrid powertrain tin beryllium detected lone slightly, and lone truly successful its occasionally permissive high-speed vertical assemblage control. Most of the time, the 330e conscionable feels similar an agile, entertaining, first-rate 3 Series successful its sporting operator appeal.

The 330e has a WLTP-certified electric-only scope of 37 miles, putting it successful the 12% BIK taxation bracket for PHEV options for the 2022-23 tax year, but it remains a truly compelling proposition connected the ground of its saccharine compromise of showroom price, performance, dynamism and tax-efficiency.

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Volvo's past of offering its property cars with a plug-in hybrid powertrain stretches backmost further than astir successful the business, but the caller V90 Plug-in T6 is without uncertainty its astir palmy effort astatine the recipe, and an outstanding all-rounder. 

A caller upgrade means the car present has a decently-sized 18.8kWh artillery pack, which means that the large Swede claims up to 54 miles connected a azygous charge, helping marque it a overmuch much user-friendly enactment than its predecessor and dropping it into the 8 per cent BiK bracket. With 345bhp each in, the existent mentation clearly isn't the astir almighty PHEV that Volvo has made either, but it's much than capable for what is fundamentally an easy-going motorway mile-muncher. Another vantage the V90 T6 holds successful the PHEV arena is that you tin bargain it with four-wheel drive, which isn't existent of some rivals from the premium German brands. That said, its lone all-wheel thrust successful the consciousness that there's an electrical centrifugal powering the rear wheels and an interior combustion driving the fronts, truthful erstwhile you're successful EV mode this is simply a two-wheel thrust machine.

The Skoda Superb iV (below) isless costly and each spot arsenic spacious inside, but it lacks the Volvo's calling-card affluent compartment ambience and its supremely relaxing rolling character. This is however a large Volvo should feel: refined, absorbent, mature and brilliantly versatile to elemental use.

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Those who similar their enforcement car with a dash of alternate French flavour and plentifulness of show entreaty volition admit Peugeot's astir caller PHEV option: the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. This is simply a plug-in hybrid with duplicate thrust motors, 4 driven wheels and 355bhp successful all, squeezed into a bundle which continues to consciousness much compact than galore successful the enforcement market and besides offers plentifulness of sporting appeal.

The 508 PSE isn't the cheapest enactment successful our list, nor is it the astir tax-efficient (a 14 per cent BIK liability is the champion you could anticipation for of it acknowledgment to a modest 26-mile electrical range) - but it does harvester electrified powertrain exertion with performance-car dynamism rather successfully wherever rivals person struggled. Peugeot's steering and damper tuning are some precocious points, and portion the car's 1.6-litre four-cylinder motor lacks the combustive richness of some, the car has plentifulness of thrust.

Coming successful some 'fastback' saloon and property bodies, the 508 PSE is simply a invited enactment of caller aerial successful a beauteous worldly PHEV segment, and it shows that picking an environmentally responsible enactment needn't mean putting up with boring.

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The exceptionally handsome Volvo S60 makes an highly beardown lawsuit for itself arsenic a slick and stylish plug-in enforcement express, not slightest due to the fact that a caller update has accrued its all-electric scope and truthful importantly reduced moving costs.

Thanks to the summation of a larger 18.8kWh battery, the S60 present has an EV scope up to 56 miles and CO2 emissions of arsenic small arsenic 17g/km, meaning it falls into a comparatively lowly 8 per cent BiK banding. Yet it besides combines its rear-mounted electrical centrifugal with a four-cylinder petrol motor (which is turbocharged and supercharged) that present a combined mightiness of 450bhp and a 0-62mph clip of conscionable 4.6 seconds.

But for each its grunt, this is nary out-and-out sports saloon, its slightly aloof handling equilibrium and uninspiring motor enactment meaning sapping your tendency to propulsion on. That said, it steers with decent accuracy and clings connected well, but yet this is simply a car that prefers the casual life, which is nary atrocious happening if you walk you clip plying motorways and crawling done congested metropolis streets. Acceleration is brisk capable successful near-silent electrical mode, portion the thrust fulls plush and relaxed astatine a cruise. 

There's besides a little powerful, 350bhp T6 option, but that's lone disposable successful the V60 estate, which is simply a load lugger than majors much connected benignant than space. Either way, with its awesome EV range, apical notch interior,  easy-going driving acquisition and comparatively debased moving costs marque is large prime for concern savvy drivers.

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Unlike the 530e, this peculiar plug-in 5 Series mates BMW’s excellent, creamily creaseless 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six motor with an electric thrust motor, resulting successful a combined output of 388bhp and 442lb ft. A battery of 12kWh of gross capableness enables an electric-only scope of up to 34 miles, depending connected equipment. Add that to CO2 emissions of 39g/km, and the 545e gets a BIK taxation standing 12 per cent. This figures are reasonably heavy trumped by rivals from Mercedes and BMW.

However, the BMW helps offset the other costs with a acold richer driving experience. Performance is beardown - adjacent successful nonsubjective terms, successful fact, to that of the legendary E39 M5 ace saloon of 1990s - and the modulation from electrical to petrol powerfulness is barely detectable. Acceleration is suitably potent, too. Put your ft down and the 545e volition deed large speeds rapidly and with precise small successful the mode of discernable effort. Ride comfortableness remains precise good.

But the 545e’s trump paper is that it tin grip with BMW-typical precision, balance, vigor and power - contempt the further value of its electrified powertrain. The artillery mightiness beryllium positioned towards the rear of the car, but the 545e nevertheless feels poised through faster corners, and its all-wheel thrust strategy affords fantabulous traction. Standard runflat tyres bash enactment a dampener connected the car's commicative faculties, and forestall it from processing the past connection successful adhesive grip.

Even so, this car should be a earthy prime for PHEV shoppers who tin wage a premium for a genuinely sporting option.

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Skoda whitethorn person been busting a gut to alteration perceptions of its marque of late, but erstwhile the accidental to bring immoderate elemental metal-for-the-money worth to the plug-in hybrid marketplace presented recently, it didn’t blink. It launched the fleet-friendly Superb iV: a car that uses the motor and hybrid drivetrain with which drivers of the Volkswagen Passat GTE person go acquainted implicit the past fewer years, but it packages them successful a bigger household car that's on connection astatine a little database price. Simply clever, oregon conscionable downright simple? Either way, it got our attention.

The Superb iV is amazingly normal, considering it was Skoda’s archetypal plug-in hybrid. It doesn’t committedness a peculiarly breathtaking driving experience, nor is it loaded with ritzy on-board exertion oregon clothed successful caller styling features successful bid to advertise its electrified credentials. It drives, thrust and handles beauteous overmuch similar immoderate different Superb – which means it’s reasonably softly sprung and comfort-oriented, and it's easy-going alternatively than alert and energetic successful its pedal responses.

The sheer size of immoderate Superb ought to beryllium a selling constituent for some, and the iV mentation is nary different. Even though the artillery eats into footwear abstraction a little, there’s inactive 485 litres disposable successful the hatchback version and much inactive successful the estate. Electric scope is WLTP-rated astatine 35 miles for an 12% BIK taxation rating.

If you’re looking for a roomy and cost-effective PHEV enactment that feels normal, rather than caller (read ‘a spot funny’), to drive, look nary further.

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Mercedes is the lone subordinate successful the PHEV segment offering the operation of a diesel motor and electrical propulsion. In the E300de, it besides allows you to take a saloon oregon property bodystyle, which is different vantage that isn’t arsenic wide disposable arsenic you mightiness imagine. For those reasons and others, the E300de makes the chopped for this chart.

Electric scope lone conscionable scrapes a WLTP-certified 30 miles, though that volition beryllium connected optional specification, so the car whitethorn good miss an 12% BIK banding if you opt for bigger wheels oregon a sportier trim. The information that it’s casual to adhd options and crook this into a £50,000-plus prospect volition besides person an interaction connected its taxation efficiency, of course.

In the existent world, our investigating suggests that 22-25 miles is arsenic acold arsenic the E300de volition tally without rousing its four-pot diesel engine. And yet considering it has lone 4 cylinders, its show is impressively swift. Clever powerfulness absorption makes it casual to seizure and recycle vigor without realising you’re doing it, and the handling is softly deft and reasonably precise for what is, aft all, a two-tonne car.

Mercedes’ hybrid artillery installation does instrumentality up immoderate footwear space, but it doesn’t forestall the E300de being a supremely applicable car – peculiarly successful property signifier – arsenic good arsenic a smart, desirable and real-world-efficient one.

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Citroen utilized to bash things differently, its quirky plan and oleo-pneumatic suspension cocking a snook astatine the 'established' mode of doing things. It appears the French marque is trying to seizure immoderate of that past magic with the C5 X, which blends head-turning looks with ultimate comfortableness and beardown refinement. There's besides a plug-in hybrid, which portion not the past connection successful sophistication and efficiency, does unfastened the defiantly leftfield Double Chevron instrumentality to concern users who mightiness beryllium bushed of the accustomed suspects.

Under the skin, the C5 X uses the acquainted Stellantis EMP2 platform, which besides underpins assorted Peugeot and DS models. As a result, its gets helium aforesaid 222bhp 1.6-litre petrol plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which allows a respectable 31 miles of EV scope and emits arsenic small arsenic 30g/km of CO2. Those figures aren't arsenic bully arsenic others successful this list, and truthful the Citroen lone qualifies for a BiK complaint of 12 per cent, though somewhat little database prices than the premium absorption helps offset the difference.

This isn't a car to get the heart-pumping with excitement, the airy and lifeless steering and brushed suspension set-up meaning keen drivers volition consciousness shortchanged erstwhile tackling their favourite agelong of achromatic apical erstwhile successful a hurry. Yet larn to unbend and spell with the travel and the C5 X is simply a curiously satisfying machine, its plush thrust and decent damping allowing you to screen crushed faster than you'd think. Yet it's astatine its champion erstwhile cruising, its hushed refinement and that lolloping thrust allowing you to revel successful its suprisingly classy and spacious compartment and get astatine your destination feeling refreshed.

Volkswagen's extra-desirable enforcement option, the Arteon, had a facelift successful precocious 2020 and present comes with a prime of fastback saloon oregon shooting brake property bodies, arsenic good arsenic with plug-in hybrid powerfulness if you privation it. And those 2 changes broaden the entreaty of the car considerably, due to the fact that successful our presumption the car's property assemblage adds to the car's ocular entreaty portion the petrol-electric powertrain volition strengthen the rational statement to take one.

The eHybrid uses the VW Group's progressively ubiquitous operation of 1.4-litre TSI petrol motor and 113bhp electrical motor, and it's front-wheel thrust only: truthful this isn't the quickest oregon the astir breathtaking PHEV connected the market. It is refined and drivable, however, and a claimed WLTP electrical scope of up to 35- to 37 miles (depending connected bodystyle) translates into astir 25- successful mixed real-world use.

Longer-range, petrol-only system is simply a small disappointing, and the car has constricted dynamic entreaty - but arsenic a roomy, alternative modern fleet enactment that'll outgo you little than some, it's worthy considering.